According to the Greenock Telegraph, the man was ordered to pay back the value in tickets he stole after pleading guilty in court this week. The sheriff told the man in court “this was a hopeless attempt by you to address your problem.”

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“One-thousand-five-hundred pounds is a significant amount for an employer to lose and you were in a position of trust,” McIntyre said. “This offence crosses the threshold for prison but I must consider whether there are any alternatives to that.”

Andrew Lochrie was also ordered to complete 200 hundred hours of community service within a nine-month period.

“He is filled with shame and regret,” Lochrie lawyer said. “This was an act of desperation at a desperate time.”